Kha Y Tran League of Legends Patch 26.17 brings another major balance update to the game. This time, Riot Games is targeting several champions that have become too powerful in the current meta. In particular, top lane is receiving some important changes.
Nasus and Vayne are both getting nerfed. Meanwhile, melee carries such as Yasuo, Yone, and Irelia are receiving useful buffs. Qiyana is also getting stronger as Riot tries to push her back toward mid lane.
Moreover, several other popular champions are being adjusted. Xerath, Nocturne, Graves, and Thresh will become weaker. On the other hand, Aurelion Sol, Cho’Gath, LeBlanc, and Trundle are getting stronger.
Therefore, LoL Patch 26.17 could have a major impact on the ranked meta.
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LoL Patch 26.17 Overview
One of Riot’s main goals in League of Legends Patch 26.17 is to reduce the power of dominant picks. This is especially true in top lane.
Nasus has become difficult to punish because of his strong sustain. Meanwhile, Vayne can constantly pressure melee champions with her range and mobility. As a result, both champions are being toned down.
At the same time, Riot wants to improve several melee carries. Yasuo, Yone, and Irelia often rely heavily on building an early lead. If they fall behind, they can struggle to become relevant later.
However, Patch 26.17 gives these champions better scaling. Therefore, they should have more opportunities to become threats during the mid and late game.
In addition, Riot is reducing the strength of Xerath, Nocturne, Graves, and Thresh.
Nasus Gets a Sustain Nerf
Nasus is one of the top laners directly affected by Patch 26.17.
His passive, Soul Eater, now provides less life steal:
- Life Steal: 12/18/24% → 10/15/20%
Notably, this change does not directly affect Nasus’ ability to stack his Q. However, it makes surviving difficult lanes harder.
Previously, Nasus could recover a large amount of health simply by farming minions. Consequently, opponents sometimes struggled to turn successful trades into meaningful advantages.
After this nerf, Nasus should have a harder time recovering from early damage. Therefore, aggressive top laners may have more opportunities to punish him.
Vayne Top Takes a Major Hit
Vayne receives one of the biggest adjustments in LoL Patch 26.17.
Riot wants to reduce the strength of Vayne top while still keeping her viable as a traditional ADC. Therefore, her base stats receive both buffs and nerfs.
Her base health increases from 550 to 580. However, her health growth drops from 103 to 98. Her base health regeneration also receives a small improvement.
More importantly, her abilities are being changed.
The mana cost of Q – Tumble changes from 30 to:
- 46/42/38/34/30 Mana
As a result, Vayne cannot spam Tumble as easily during the early laning phase. This should make constant poking and repositioning more expensive.
Meanwhile, W – Silver Bolts receives an important early-game nerf.
Its true damage changes from:
- 6/7/8/9/10% → 4/5.5/7/8.5/10% of the target’s maximum health
Additionally, its minimum damage drops from 50/65/80/95/110 to 40/55/70/85/100.
Therefore, Vayne should be less oppressive against high-health melee champions early in the game.
Xerath, Nocturne, Graves, and Thresh Are Nerfed
Top lane is not Riot’s only focus. Several popular champions in other roles are also getting weaker.
First, Xerath loses some durability. His base health drops from 596 to 575.
Furthermore, his Q damage decreases from 75/115/155/195/235 to 70/110/150/190/230. The 90% AP ratio remains unchanged.
Nocturne is also becoming less durable. His base armor drops from 38 to 36, while his health falls from 655 to 640.
Consequently, diving into the enemy team with his ultimate will carry more risk.
Meanwhile, Graves receives a damage nerf to his Q. The bonus AD ratio on the initial hit falls from 65% to 55%. In addition, the returning projectile also receives lower bonus AD ratios.
Thresh is another champion affected by the update.
His E – Flay active damage changes from 75/120/165/210/255 (+70% AP) to 65/110/155/200/245 (+60% AP).
Therefore, Thresh will lose some of his early damage. However, his crowd control and utility remain unchanged.
Yasuo and Yone Receive Huge Crit Buffs
Yasuo and Yone are easily two of the most interesting champions in League of Legends Patch 26.17.
Previously, both champions had a 10% critical strike damage penalty through their passives. However, Riot is now cutting that penalty in half.
Yasuo – Way of the Wanderer:
- Critical Strike Damage Penalty: -10% → -5%
Yone – Way of the Hunter:
- Critical Strike Damage Penalty: -10% → -5%
Although the change looks simple, its impact could be significant.
Both champions naturally build critical strike items. Therefore, reducing the damage penalty directly improves their scaling as they complete more items.
Moreover, this change could encourage Yasuo and Yone players to prioritize critical strike builds earlier. As a result, they may become less dependent on Blade of the Ruined King.
Most importantly, the buff gives both champions a stronger late game even when they fail to dominate the laning phase.
Irelia and Qiyana Could Return to the Meta
Irelia also receives several useful improvements.
The AD ratio on Q – Bladesurge increases from 70% to 80%. Therefore, Irelia will gain more damage from the AD she builds throughout the game.
Meanwhile, the AP-based damage reduction on her W increases from 7% to 8% per 100 AP. Additionally, her ultimate’s AP ratio increases from 70% to 100%.
Overall, these changes should improve Irelia’s scaling.
Qiyana is another champion worth watching.
Riot appears to want the Empress of the Elements back in mid lane. Therefore, her champion damage is being increased while her jungle clear is being reduced.
Her Q damage increases from:
- 70/100/130/160/190 (+85% bonus AD)
to:
- 80/110/140/170/200 (+90% bonus AD)
However, the Q damage modifier against monsters drops from 175% to 160%.
As a result, Qiyana should become stronger against enemy champions without receiving the same boost in the jungle.
Aurelion Sol, Cho’Gath, LeBlanc, and Trundle Get Buffed
Several other champions are also receiving improvements in LoL Patch 26.17.
First, Aurelion Sol gets lower mana costs on his Q. The mana cost per second falls from 35/40/45/50/55 to 30/35/40/45/50.
Moreover, the cooldown of his W becomes shorter at later ranks. Therefore, Aurelion Sol should have more freedom during mid-game fights.
Cho’Gath also receives a straightforward buff. His E gains 10 extra base damage at every rank. Consequently, his early trading power should improve.
Meanwhile, LeBlanc receives several interesting changes. Her base attack speed ratio returns from 0.4 to 0.625. However, her attack speed growth decreases from 2.35% to 1.5%.
More importantly, the AP ratio on both her W and mimicked W increases from 80% to 90%. Therefore, traditional AP assassin builds should deal more burst damage.
Finally, Trundle receives a major W buff.
His bonus attack speed changes from:
- 30/45/60/75/90% → 30/50/70/90/110%
At maximum rank, the difference is significant. As a result, Trundle should become much more dangerous in extended duels and split-push situations.
Item Changes in LoL Patch 26.17
Champions are not the only part of the game receiving adjustments. Two items are also being changed.
First, Yun Tal Wildarrows gets more attack speed:
- Attack Speed: 20% → 25%
Therefore, the item may become more attractive for champions looking for both attack speed and critical strike power.
On the other hand, Sundered Sky receives another nerf.
Its stats change as follows:
- Health: 450 → 400
- Attack Damage: 45 → 40
Losing both health and AD significantly reduces the item’s overall efficiency. Consequently, fighters may need to reconsider when to buy it or look for alternative options.
How Will LoL Patch 26.17 Change the Meta?
Overall, League of Legends Patch 26.17 focuses on two major goals. First, Riot is reducing the strength of champions that have become too oppressive. Second, the developer is improving several melee carries that need better scaling.
Nasus and Vayne should become easier to punish in top lane. Meanwhile, Nocturne and Graves will lose some of their reliability. Xerath will also have slightly less damage and durability.
On the other hand, Yasuo and Yone could become major winners of the patch. Their reduced critical strike damage penalty directly improves their scaling. Therefore, both champions could become much stronger once they complete their core items.
Additionally, Irelia, Qiyana, LeBlanc, and Trundle have all received meaningful buffs. As a result, some of these champions could quickly rise in popularity.
Ultimately, LoL Patch 26.17 could bring noticeable changes to both solo queue and the wider meta. Top and mid lane players, in particular, should keep a close eye on Yasuo, Yone, Irelia, Qiyana, Nasus, and Vayne as the new patch develops.
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